Arrangement and method for the cultivation of horticultural products

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an arrangement for cultivation of horticultural products, more specifically mushrooms. A first and a second rack are arranged adjacent and aligned with each other, providing a working space therebetween. Each rack comprises support structures arranged at support heights for supporting cultivation packages at a plurality of heights. The support heights are aligned with each other. The arrangement comprises moving means for moving packages from the first to the second rack or back, via the working space. Cultivation packages can be supported such that at most a single package is supported at each of the aligned support heights. This enables the packages to be alternatingly supported in either the first or the second rack across the support heights. The arrangement further includes an operator platform within the working space which is moveable in a vertical direction to enable working at different heights.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is the U.S. National Stage of PCT/NL2017/050339, filed May 26,2017, which in turn claims priority to: Netherlands Application No.2016850, filed May 27, 2016, the contents of each of these applicationsbeing incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed at an arrangement for the cultivationof horticultural products, more specifically mushrooms, wherein theproducts are cultivated in cultivation beds arranged in racks at varioussupport heights. The invention is further directed at a method forcultivation of such horticultural products.

BACKGROUND

The cultivation of mushrooms, such as champignons or similar products,is typically on a large scale performed in in-house in cultivationfacilities. Cultivation conditions are to be monitored and managed wellin such facilities, because the growing of mushrooms is very sensible todeviations from these conditions. Moreover, controlling these conditionsalso enables to control the yield and size of the champignons bred. Toguarantee the breeding of high quality products, active and accuratemanagement the cultivation conditions is thus important.

As may be understood, it is more easy to manage these conditions insmall or compact cultivation facilities. The larger a facility becomes,the more difficult it will be to manage the conditions efficientlyeverywhere in the facility. For this reason, it is advantageous not tomake the facilities too large and to use the available space efficient.For this reason, mushrooms such as champignons are typically bred inracks, having cultivation beds arranged in a stacked configuration atvarious heights, as this allows efficient use of the available space. Aswill be appreciated, the space above each bed large enough to allowgrowth, condition management and harvestings. With respect to thelatter, an operator harvesting mushrooms must be able to reach themushrooms in the beds and to judge their size in order to pick the rightmushrooms to harvest.

With respect to the cultivation conditions, a further challenge isprovided by the optimal conditions during various stages of cultivation.For example for champignons, after spawning during the phase wherein thecasing soil is being colonized by mycelium by ingrowth, the soil is tobe kept wet and the ambient conditions require a high content of carbondioxide (CO₂) and a relative high temperature of 22 to 23 degreesCelcius (° C.). However, in the phase thereafter when the casing soil iscolonized, the mycelium will form buttons at the surface. During thisstage, ventilation is important, the CO₂ is reduced and the temperaturewill be decreased to 17 to 18° C. Thereafter, control of the ambientconditions allows to manage whether many small champignons (e.g. at lowtemperatures and low humidity) or fewer large champignons (e.g. athigher temperatures and higher humidity) will grow. Ventilation remainsimportant during this phase, which will continue until the mushrooms areready for harvesting.

During the harvesting phase, having a duration of various weeks, themushrooms appear and grow in cycles. Also, various different sizes maybe desired, requiring to perform harvesting of some mushrooms to takeplace later than other mushrooms. Thus harvesting may be performedmultiple times per cultivation bed. Due to the vulnerability of themushrooms, machined harvesting—although being much faster—has thedisadvantage of leading to more damage and lesions on the mushrooms.Therefore manual harvesting is still popular, however, this is a labourintensive task. During such harvesting, reaching the mushrooms as wellas judging their size is difficult in view of the typically limitedamount of space above the beds. Hence, this may lead to variation insize of the mushrooms harvested and it also renders the task to bephysically demanding on the operator/harvester.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present document, reference is made to a ‘cultivation package’.This term is to be understood as a package comprising at least compostincluding the horticultural products or it's growth, spores or seeds(i.e. spores, ingrown spores, seeds, seedlings of the horticulturalproducts). Usually, but dependent on the type of product, thecultivation package may also comprise further layers or ingredients,e.g. casing soil for champignons.

It is an object of the present invention to ameliorate the disadvantagesidentified above, and to provide a cultivation arrangement and methodthat allows efficient use of space for enabling effective conditionmanagement, while also improving harvesting conditions.

To this end, there is provided herewith an arrangement for thecultivation of horticultural products, more specifically mushrooms,comprising a first and a second rack arranged adjacent and aligned witheach other such as to provide a working space between the first and thesecond rack, wherein each rack comprises a plurality of supportstructures arranged at respective support heights for supportingcultivation packages at a plurality of heights in each rack, and suchthat the support heights of the first and the second rack are alignedwith each other, wherein each support structure comprises one or moreguiding members for guiding a cultivation package along a horizontalmovement, the arrangement further comprises moving means arranged forcooperating with the cultivation packages, for moving of the packagesfrom the first to the second rack or from the second to the first rackvia the working space; wherein the arrangement is arranged for receivingor supporting a plurality of said cultivation packages, such that atmost a single cultivation package is supported at each of the alignedsupport heights in the arrangement, for enabling the packages to bealternatingly supported in either the first or the second rack acrossthe aligned support heights; further comprising an operator platformarranged contiguous to the working space on at least one side thereof,the platform being moveable in a vertical direction to enable working bythe operator at the support heights.

The invention enables the packages to be moved from the first to thesecond rack, or vice versa, past the platform. While the packages aremoved past the platform, the operator has all the space he desires abovethe package to perform the harvesting in a manner that is physicallyless demanding. Moreover, because the operator can bend over thepackage, the size of the mushrooms in the package can be judged muchbetter as compared to the situation wherein mushrooms are to beharvested directly from the packages in the racks. In conventionalharvesting methods of this type, the size must be judged by the operatorby observing the mushrooms from aside while the package is relativelydark in view of the arrangement of the rack with stacked packages. Inthe present invention, the packages move past the platform while beingwell illuminated, providing the desired working and movement space toperform the task.

In addition to this, by enabling the cultivation packages to bedistributed in an alternating arrangement amongst the first and secondrack, better ventilation and ambient climate control may be achievedabove the cultivation packages in this stage of the growing process. Inparticular, the alternating arrangement doubles the height availableabove the cultivation packages while these are residing in the first andsecond rack. At the same time, a much more compact stacking of thecultivation packages would be achieved in case all cultivation packageswould reside in one rack. This situation may for example be achieved inthe phase between spawning and prior to the harvesting phase, by keepingthe cultivation packages in one rack as will be explained later. Inconnection herewith, it is also worthwhile to mention that during thelater stages of the process, when the cultivation packages reside in thefirst and second rack, it is already beneficial to the cultivationprocess to refresh the air directly ambient to the horticulturalproducts. This may for example be achieved simply by moving thecultivation packages to the other rack or backwards, causing the airambient to the products to be refreshed instantaneously due to thedisplacement.

In accordance with some embodiments, in the arrangement, eachcultivation package is supported in a carriage cooperating with theguiding members. In accordance with some embodiments, the arrangementcomprises a single carriage at each support height, which carriage ismoveable between the first and the second rack. For example, the guidingmembers may be guiding rails and wheels that are connected to thecarriage in a rotatable manner, may cooperate with the rails to enablesmooth movement in one desired direction back and forth. By providingthat only a single carriage is present at each height of the alignedheights of the first and second rack, each carriage may selectively bemoved to either of the first and second rack (e.g. in an alternatingarrangement, or all in one rack, or otherwise).

Moving of the carriage from one rack to another rack may be provided formanually—i.e. by pulling the carriage out of the support structure viathe rails and into the opposing support structure of the other rack.Alternatively, the moving of the carriages may be actuator driven, e.g.by using a motor performing this task. The carriage could itself beequipped with a motor, but alternatively a common or central motor maybe present in the arrangement that may be shared amongst the carriagespresent.

For example, in accordance with some embodiments, the moving meanscomprise an actuator comprising an engagement member arranged forengaging with one or more of the carriages for moving of the carriage bythe actuator from the first to the second rack or from the second to thefirst rack. In accordance with some embodiments, the actuator is mountedin the arrangement to be vertically moveable relative to the first andsecond rack such as to enable the engagement member, dependent on acurrent vertical position of the engagement member, to engage with acarriage at a respective support height. The actuator may for example beinstalled to be moveable with the platform (e.g. the actuator may bemounted on the moveable structure described further down below).Alternatively, a plurality of actuators may be mounted on each rack,e.g. one or more actuators at each support height for moving thecarriages at that support height. Various different kind of engagementsolutions may be applied, as will be recognized by the skilled reader.Therefore, the invention is not limited to a particular type ofengagement member.

In accordance with some embodiments, the actuator comprises one or morecontrols for setting a movement speed for moving the respectivecarriage. As will be appreciated, this allows the working conditions foraccurate and efficient harvesting to be manageable. The controls mayfurther comprise controls for moving the platform in a verticaldirection to set the desired height. In accordance with embodiments, theoperator platform is connected to a moveable structure cooperating withvertical guiding members arranged on one or more of the first and secondrack, for enabling the vertical movement of the platform. Moreover, inaccordance with some embodiments, the moveable structure comprises afirst and a second operator platform being arranged on either side ofthe working space. As may be appreciated, this enables to work on thecultivation packages from two different sides of the package, to achievedoubled efficiency.

The moveable structure, apart for supporting the platform and the meansfor vertical movement, may be further equipped and utilized forperforming all kinds of additional functions during or in addition toharvesting. For example, watering means or fertilizing means may bepresent for nurturing or wetting, or a light source for lighting thework space. Therefore, in accordance with some embodiments, the moveablestructure of the arrangement further comprises, connected thereto, atleast one of a group comprising: a nurturing or wetting arrangement,such as a liquid nozzle, a powder nozzle, a granulate distributor, asprayer, a drip irrigation device, or a fertilizer distributor; aharvesting apparatus; a selective mushroom eradicator, such as adirectable beam, a needle or a gripper for selectively eradicatingmushrooms; a camera; a light source; one or more sensors, such as atemperature sensor or a humidity sensor.

As already briefly mentioned above, after spawning and beforeharvesting, the cultivation packages may reside in one single rackwherein a package is present e.g. at each defined height in the rack.This provides a compact stacking of the packages. This is advantageousfor example for the cultivation of mushrooms such as champignons duringthis phase. The packages do not need to be very accessible during thisphase, and a compact stacking allows reduces the required space forkeeping the racks under the right conditions. In accordance with someembodiments, the arrangement therefore further comprises a third rackarranged adjacent and aligned with the first rack, the third rackcomprising a plurality of further support structures arranged atrespective support heights for supporting cultivation packages at theplurality of heights in the third rack, and such that the supportheights of the third rack are aligned with the support heights of thefirst rack, the arrangement further comprising a transfer unit formoving cultivation packages from the third rack into the first rack. Thethird rack may be a separate rack that may be kept in a separate roomduring growth, i.e. isolating it for different ambient condition controlfor the third rack. In such an embodiment, when the packages with thehorticultural products (e.g. champignons) are ready to be moved to thefirst rack, the transfer unit may be connected to each of thecultivation packages, and the packages may be hauled into the firstrack. The manner in which this is done depends of the transfer unitapplied. For example, the cultivation packages may already be supportedin carriages in the third rack, or alternatively the packages may bedifferently supported (e.g. on a cloth or canvas or on a plate-likeconstruction) and pulled into a carriage of the first rack. Also thepackages may be pulled into the first rack either one-by-one, two ormore together, or all at once. In some embodiments, for providing thetransfer unit, one or more of the support structures of the first rackeach comprise a pulley comprising a windable longitudinal pulling memberand a coupling member connected to the pulling member, the pullingmember having a length for enabling spanning the first rack inlongitudinal direction such as to enable coupling of the coupling memberto a cultivation package in the third rack, the pulley being operablefor pulling the cultivation package into the support structure of thefirst rack. This may include a winch or rollable spool or the like.

In accordance with a second aspect, the invention is directed at amethod of cultivating horticultural products, more specificallymushrooms, using an arrangement comprising a first and a second rackarranged adjacent and aligned with each other, and each rack comprisinga plurality of support structures for supporting cultivation packages ata plurality of support heights, the support heights provided by thefirst and second rack being aligned with each other at a same level, themethod comprising: supporting a plurality of cultivation packages in thefirst and the second rack, such that at most a single cultivationpackage is supported in either the first or the second rack at eachaligned support height, and such that the packages are alternatinglysupported in either the first or the second rack across the alignedsupport heights; vertically moving an operator platform near a workingspace defined between the first and the second rack to enable anoperator on the platform work at a selected support height; moving,using a moving means, a respective cultivation package from the first tosecond rack or from the second to the first rack at the selected heightand treating or handling of the horticultural products during saidmoving of the respective cultivation package. The method may apply, forexample, an arrangement in accordance with the first aspect of theinvention. In accordance with some embodiments, the treating or handlingincludes at least one of a group comprising: harvesting thehorticultural products, verifying the cultivation of the horticulturalproducts, removing or eradicating damaged or diseased products, removingor eradicating products growing faster or maturing earlier than planned,monitoring cultivation conditions, nurturing or fertilizing thehorticultural products, or size inspection of the horticulturalproducts. The skilled person will appreciate that other operations maybe performed as well, and that the invention is not limited to theseparticular embodiments.

In accordance with some embodiments, the method further comprises thesteps of: cultivating, for a first duration of time, the horticulturalproducts in cultivation packages in a third rack comprising a pluralityof further support structures arranged at respective support heights,wherein the support heights of the third rack are aligned with thesupport heights of the first rack; aligning the third rack with thefirst rack; and moving, using a transfer unit, the cultivation packagesfrom the third rack into the first rack, for enabling cultivation of thehorticultural products in either one of the first and the second rackfor a second duration of time. As explained, in the third rack, thestacking may be more compact as access to the packages is not frequentlyrequired and a more compact stacking takes less space of which theambient conditions need to be controlled.

In accordance with some embodiments, the step of cultivating thehorticultural products in the third rack is performed following a stepof spawning of the products in the cultivation packages. Moreover, insome embodiments, upon moving of the cultivation packages from the thirdrack into the first rack, at least one of the cultivation packages ismoved by the moving means from the first to second rack, such as toestablish the cultivation packages to be alternatingly supported ineither the first or the second rack across the aligned support heights.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will further be elucidated by description of some specificembodiments thereof, making reference to the attached drawings. Thedetailed description provides examples of possible implementations ofthe invention, but is not to be regarded as describing the onlyembodiments falling under the scope. The scope of the invention isdefined in the claims, and the description is to be regarded asillustrative without being restrictive on the invention. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIGS. 2A-2F illustrates a method of the present invention performs usingan arrangement of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a close-up of FIG. 2E, illustrating an operatorplatform;

FIG. 4 illustrates a further close-up of the operator platform in anarrangement of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the present document, reference is made to a ‘cultivation package’.This term is to be understood as a package comprising at least compostincluding the horticultural products or it's growth, spores or seeds(i.e. spores, ingrown spores, seeds, seedlings of the horticulturalproducts). Usually, but dependent on the type of product, thecultivation package may also comprise further layers or ingredients,e.g. casing soil for champignons.

FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement, generally indicated with referencenumeral 1, in accordance with the present invention. The arrangement 1comprises a first rack 4, a second rack 5 and a third rack 6. The thirdrack 6 is isolated from the first and the second rack, and located in aseparate room as is indicated by the walls 9 and 10 in FIG. 1.

In accordance with the present invention, in between the first rack 4and the second rack 5, a working space 14 is formed wherein an operatorplatform 12 can be vertically moved up and down via guiding rails 13.The operator platform 12 allows for operators 15 (e.g. see FIG. 2D) tobe moved in vertical direction alongside the working space 14 to work atvarious heights as desired. In the racks 4, 5 and 6, cultivationpackages 8 comprising horticultural products such as mushrooms (e.g.champignons) can be arranged at various support heights in the racks. Ineach of the racks 4, 5, and 6, the support heights wherein thecultivation packages may be supported are the same, such that thesupport heights of the first rack 4 and the second rack 5 are the same,such that they are aligned with each other. Similarly, the supportheights of the first rack 4 and the third rack 6 are also the same forenabling the operation of the arrangement. As may be appreciated by theskilled person, the alignment of the support heights must be such thatcultivation packages 8 may be moved easily from one rack to the other.So, as can be understood, the support heights are more or less the same,but tolerances or workable differences that readily enter the mind ofthe skilled person are of course possible.

For vertical movement along the rails 13 connected to the racks 4 and 5,the operator platform 12 is supported or connected to a moveablestructure 11 that cooperates with the guiding rails 13. The moveablestructure 11 is also shown in FIG. 4 and will be discussed furtherbelow.

FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate a method of the present invention wherein thearrangement of the present invention is applied. In FIG. 2A, a pluralityof cultivation packages 8-1 to 8-8 are supported at various supportheights in the third rack 6. In this rack, the cultivation packages 8-1to 8-8 are placed after spawning of the mushrooms. In the third rack 6,the cultivation packages 8-1 to 8-8 will reside during the first stageof the growing process. Walls 9 and 10 (see FIG. 2C) separate the thirdrack 6 from the first rack 4 and the second rack 5. As is visible inFIG. 1, an opening in the walls 9 and 10 will allow for the cultivationpackages 8 to be moved from one rack to the other. This opening in thewalls 9 and 10 may be closable by a door of any kind. By separating thethird rack 6 from the first rack 4 and second rack 5, the growingconditions in the room can be controlled separately for providing theoptimal conditions during this phase of the cultivation process. In FIG.2B, each of the cultivation packages 8-1 to 8-8 is moved onto the firstrack 4. As is visible in FIG. 2B, racks 8-2 to 8-8 are already moved tothe first rack 4, while cultivation package 8-1 is being moved from thethird rack 6 to the first rack 4 (note that not all cultivation packageshave been numbered). As can be seen in FIG. 2B, the operator platform 12has moved to the top most support height in the first rack 4 to operatea transfer unit, e.g. a hauling engine, for hauling the cultivationpackage 8-1 into the first rack 4. The transfer unit could be aactuator, such as an engine of any type, or may be a manually operatedtool. The transfer unit for example may be a manual or power drivenwinch, enabling to connect a cable that is long enough to span thelongitudinal distance of the first rack 4 and connect with a couplingmember to a cultivation package 8 in the third rack 6.

In FIG. 2C, all of the cultivation packages 8-1 to 8-8 have been placedin a first rack 4 of the arrangement of the present invention. The thirdrack 6 is now empty. During the later phases of the growth process, thespace between the cultivation packages 8-1 to 8-8 may be selectivelyincreased for enabling better ventilation of the cultivation packages.To this end, the cultivation packages will be distributed amongst thefirst and second rack in an alternating manner, alternatingly fillingthe support heights of the first rack 4 and the second rack 5. This isfor example shown in FIGS. 2D to 2F. The platform 12 comprising theoperators 15 may be moved to the support height of cultivation package8-7 (second from below). Here, the cultivation package 8-7, which issupported in a carriage (23) residing in support elements 22 of theracks, is moved from the first rack 4 to the second rack 5. Duringmovement of the cultivation package 8-7, all kinds of desired operationsmay be performed. For example, wetting of the cultivation packages orfertilizing may be performed while moving the cultivation package 8-7through the working area 14. To this end, the support structure 11 mayfor example comprise a spray nozzle or fertilizer distributor suspendedabove the passing package 8-7. Such equipment may be suspended fromsuspension construction 20 (e.g. see also FIG. 3) on the moveablestructure 11. The suspension structure 20 may also, optionally, comprisecameras, light sources, sensors and all kinds of desired tools, sensorsand other arrangements for performing necessary operations. Theadvantage of this construction is that by moving the packages (e.g.cultivation package 8-7) from the first rack 4 to the second rack 5through the working area 14, these packages move past the availabletools in the working area 14 to perform these operations fast andcarefully. The moving of the cultivation packages 8 is continued untilthe desired alternatingly distributed arrangements of cultivationpackages 8-1 to 8-8 is obtained.

As follows from FIG. 2E, for example cultivation packages 8-1, 8-3, 8-5,and 8-7 may have been moved to the second rack 5, while cultivationpackages 8-2, 8-4, 8-6, and 8-8 may reside in the first rack 4. As willbe appreciated, to perform all required operations on each of thepackages equally, the various cultivation packages may be moved back andforth between the first rack 4 and the second rack 5 in such a mannerthat eventually the alternatingly distributed arrangement of cultivationpackages 8-1 to 8-8 is achieved (e.g. FIG. 2F).

Further, as may be appreciated, the moving of cultivation packagesbetween the first rack 4 and the second rack 5 may be repeated atdifferent moments during the growth process to perform such operations.The present invention particularly provides an advantage with respect toall these kinds of operations (including harvesting). With thearrangement and method of the present invention, the operators 15 canperform the required operations without having to move between thecultivation packages 8 while these reside in the racks. This providesoptimal ergonomic working conditions and good visibility of thecultivation packages for performing the operations correctly andcarefully.

The eventual alternating distribution is illustrated in FIG. 2F. Aftereach operation being performed, the packages from the second rack 5 maybe moved to the first rack 4 and the packages from the first rack 4 maybe moved to the second rack 5. Thus, after a next operation is performedon all of the cultivation packages, the stacking of the cultivationpackages 8-1 to 8-8 and the distribution amongst the racks 4 and 5 maybe in mirror image with respect to FIG. 2F.

The present embodiment comprise racks having a total of eight supportheights, allowing eight cultivation packages (8-1 to 8-8) to be stackedin the racks. As may be understood, the invention is not limited to aparticular number of cultivation packages or support heights. Theskilled person may implement the invention having less or more stackedcultivation packages in the first and second rack, e.g. two or morewithout having a particular upper limit. The number of packages that maybe stacked is at most limited by the dimensions of the space wherein thearrangement of the present invention is installed. Moreover, in thepresently described embodiments, the height difference between each twosubsequent support heights may be a couple of tens of centimeters (cm),e.g. 50 cm. In an alternatingly stacked distribution illustrated in FIG.2F, the height above each cultivation package will therefore be doubleas much, i.e. approximately 100 cm. The height differences between thesupport heights may however be different than as suggested above. Forexample, the height difference could be any of 10 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm, 25cm, 30 cm, 35 cm, 40 cm, 45 cm, 50 cm, 55 cm, 60 cm, 65 cm, 70 cm, 75cm, 80 cm, 85 cm, or even larger or smaller, or any distance in betweenthese dimensions. The invention is not limited to a specific height.

FIG. 3 provides a close-up illustration of the operations platform 12 inFIG. 2E. As can be clearly seen in FIG. 3, the operations platform ismoved to the top most support height and cultivation package 8-1 is holdfrom the first rack 4 towards the second rack 5. Operators 15-1 and 15-2can work from both sides of the cultivation package, e.g. by providing asimilar operator platform 12 on either side of the movable structure 11with respect to the packages 8. The movable structure 11 comprises asuspension structure 20 onto which the above discussed tools and sensorsmay be mounted. Also visible in FIG. 3 is the moving means 18 thatcooperate with the carriages 23 onto which the cultivation packages 8are provided, for moving the cultivation packages 8 from one rack 4 tothe other rack 5 and backwards. Additional driving means, including anengine and wheels cooperating with the rails 13, may be provided forproviding the vertical movement of the operator platform and themoveable structure 11. FIG. 3 further shows the support structures 22 atthe various heights in the first rack 4 and the second rack 5. Thesupport structures 22 consists of guiding members, e.g. guiding rails24, as will be shown in FIG. 4. In the packages 8 a plurality ofhorticultural products, e.g. mushrooms 25, are grown.

Turning to FIG. 4, the harvesting process in accordance with the presentinvention and using an arrangement of the present invention isillustrated. FIG. 4 shows a close up of the moveable structure 11supporting the operator platform 12. Operators 15-1 and 15-2 are workingon either side of the cultivation package. Cultivation package 8-4 ismoved from the second rack 5 onto the first rack 4. By doing so,cultivation package 8-4 passes the working area 14 in between the firstrack 4 and the second rack 5. The operators 15-1 and 15-2 select themushrooms which are of the desired size for harvesting. The harvestingis performed manually and the harvested mushrooms are laid down incradles 40 by each operator. A conveyer arrangement 33 is convenientlyinstalled on a moveable structure 11 for removing the cradles 40 thathave been filled during harvesting.

The movement speed of the cultivation package 8-4 may be controlled bysetting the speed of the engine 18 using control buttons 30. Thecontrols 30 may comprise additional buttons for setting the correctheight of the operator platform 12 and other necessary controls (e.g.for operation of operator tools or sensors). The engine arrangement formoving the moveable structure 11 and for moving each of the cultivationpackages is located inside the housing 32, not visible in FIG. 4. FIG. 4further shows how each of the cultivation packages 8 is supported incarriages 23. The carriages 23 cooperate with rails 24 such as to form adrawer type of assembly. The rails 24 form the support structures 22 ofthe racks 4 and 5. By moving a carriage 23 out of one of the racks 4,5across the working space 14, the carriage 23 engages with the rails 24of the support structure 22 or the other rack 5,4 on the other side ofthe working space 14.

The method of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 5. As will beappreciated, FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of the method. This isnot the only possible embodiment of the invention, and a skilled personmay, where desired, add additional steps, rearrange the order of thesteps suggested, or even remove some of the suggested steps withoutdeparting from the present invention as defined in the claims. In FIG.5, the method starts with the forming of the cultivation packages 8 instep 50, and movement of the cultivation packages to the third rack instep 52. Forming of the cultivation packages in step 50 may be performedin Various ways. For example, it is possible to perform spawning ofmushrooms spores in compost to thereby form a package. Alternatively,compost with already spawned spores and ingrown mycelium may bedistributed in a layer and may be optionally covered by casing soil forchampignon cultivation. As a further alternative, preformed layer blocksof spawned and ingrown compost and optional casing soil may be laid downcontiguously to form a cultivation package. The skilled person is ableto recognize the various manners in which a cultivation package may beformed in step 50. During step 54, the mushrooms will stay for a whilein the third rack during ingrowth of the mycelium into the packages andthe forming of buttons at the surface and the growth of the mushrooms.Step 54 is the cultivation step and may take a number of weeks tocomplete, as illustrated by the schematic clock.

When the mushrooms are large enough for moving the cultivation packagesto the first rack 4, the third rack 6 and the first rack 4 are alignedin step 56, and in step 58 the packages 8 are moved into the first rack4. After all the cultivation packages have moved into the first rack,the cultivation packages 8 are distributed amongst the first and thesecond rack 4 and 5 in step 60, providing the alternatingly distributedstacking of the packages in the first and second rack. Operations may beperformed on the packages 8 while moving these between the first and thesecond rack. The mushrooms may not be ready for harvesting yet, and sometime (e.g. two or three weeks) may pass in step 62 for growing of themushrooms to their desired size. In the meantime, where desired, thecultivation packages may be moved in between the first and the secondrack 4, 5 back and forth for performing operation on the packages in theworking space 14 of the arrangement. This is depending on the needs forthe particular case. The moving of the cultivation packages between theracks is illustrated in step 64 and 66 (including sub-steps 67 and 68and decision step 70). In step 64, the platform is set at a respectivesupport height for moving one of the cultivation packages to the otherrack. Next, in step 66 the respective cultivation package 8 is moved tothe other rack, while at the same time performing treatment or handlingof the mushrooms in step 68. In case this is any operation beingperformed prior to harvesting, the treatment may consist of fertilizingor wetting or any other kind of treatment of the mushrooms, butalternatively, during harvesting, step 68 may consist in harvesting themushrooms which are of the desired size.

Step 68 may also be absent, in which case only the cultivation packagesare moved to the other rack or backwards. This is found to be beneficialto the cultivation process as well, as will be explained. Duringcultivation, even though ventilation is provided for in the growingfacility, the mushrooms have been found to benefit from a completerefreshing of the air directly ambient to the mushrooms. This may beachieved by simply operating the arrangement of the present invention bymoving the cultivation packages to another rack or backwards, withoutrequiring to perform any additional treatment step. So in case of such arefresh, it is not necessary to perform any handling or treating as isproposed in step 68.

Then, when the package has been moved to the other rack and themushrooms have been treated or handled, in step 70 it is decided whethera next package has to be moved to the other rack, or whether all thepackages have been treated or handled. Where a next package is to bemoved to the other rack, the method continues again in step 64 by movingthe operator platform to the next desired support height. Step 66 isthen repeated for the further cultivation package. Alternatively, if allthe cultivation packages 8 have been moved to the other rack, in step 70it may be decided that treating or handling of the mushrooms in thecultivation packages is complete, and the method continues with decisionstep 72. In decision step 72, in case the cultivation method iscompleted and all (desired) mushrooms have been harvested and no newmushrooms will be taken from the packages, the method may end in step76. The package is removed and the carriage 23 is cleaned. Even duringthis step, the arrangement of the present invention may provide anadvantage. As will be appreciated, the suspension structure 20 of thearrangement 1 may comprise a cleaning nozzle and cleaning agents forcleaning the carriage 23 during this step. Alternatively in decisionstep 72, if harvesting has to be performed a further time on the samecultivation packages, the cultivation package 8 is left in tact for thedesired duration of time (74) and the method returns back to step 64 atthe moment that the cultivation packages are to be treated or harvestedagain. As will be appreciated, some of the steps described above may bemodified, omitted or additional steps may be added to the methoddescribed hereinabove.

The present invention has been described in terms of some specificembodiments thereof. It will be appreciated that the embodiments shownin the drawings and described herein are intended for illustratedpurposes only and are not by any manner or means intended to berestrictive on the invention. It is believed that the operation andconstruction of the present invention will be apparent from theforegoing description and drawings appended thereto. It will be clear tothe skilled person that the invention is not limited to any embodimentherein described and that modifications are possible which should beconsidered within the scope of the appended claims. Also kinematicinversions are considered inherently disclosed and to be within thescope of the invention. In the claims, any reference signs shall not beconstrued as limiting the claim. The term ‘comprising’ and ‘including’when used in this description or the appended claims should not beconstrued in an exclusive or exhaustive sense but rather in an inclusivesense. Thus the expression ‘comprising’ as used herein does not excludethe presence of other elements or steps in addition to those listed inany claim. Furthermore, the words ‘a’ and ‘an’ shall not be construed aslimited to ‘only one’, but instead are used to mean ‘at least one’, anddo not exclude a plurality. Features that are not specifically orexplicitly described or claimed may be additionally included in thestructure of the invention within its scope. Expressions such as: “meansfor . . . ” should be read as: “component configured for . . . ” or“member constructed to . . . ” and should be construed to includeequivalents for the structures disclosed. The use of expressions like:“critical”, “preferred”, “especially preferred” etc. is not intended tolimit the invention. Additions, deletions, and modifications within thepurview of the skilled person may generally be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention, as is determined by theclaims. The invention may be practiced otherwise then as specificallydescribed herein, and is only limited by the appended claims.

REFERENCED METHOD STEPS OF FIG. 5

-   50 Form cultivation packages 8;-   52 moving of cultivation packages 8 to 3^(rd) rack 6;-   54 mushroom cultivation, first phase of process;-   56 aligning of 3^(rd) & 1^(st) rack (where needed);-   58 moving of packages 8 from 3^(rd) rack 6 to 1^(st) rack 4;-   60 moving of packages 8 between 1^(st) and 2^(nd) rack 4, 5 until    alternating distribution (e.g. FIG. 20 achieved;-   62 waiting period between steps (where needed);-   64 move operation platform 12 to desired working height;-   66 package handling/treating (incl. sub-steps 67 & 68);    -   67 move package to other rack through working area 14;    -   68 mushroom handling/treating/harvesting (depends on need)—this        step may be absent if only refreshing of ambient air is desired;-   70 decision step: move another package for treatment/handling?-   72 decision step: cultivation method complete?-   74 waiting period between steps (where needed);-   76 end method, remove packages 8 and clean carriage 23 (e.g. using    arrangement);

The invention claimed is:
 1. Arrangement for the cultivation ofhorticultural products, comprising a first and a second rack arrangedadjacent and aligned with each other such as to provide a working spacebetween the first and the second rack, wherein each rack comprises aplurality of support structures arranged at respective support heightsfor supporting cultivation packages at a plurality of heights in eachrack, and such that the support heights of the first and the second rackare aligned with each other, wherein each support structure comprisesone or more guiding members for guiding a cultivation package along ahorizontal movement, the arrangement further comprises moving meansarranged for cooperating with the cultivation packages, for moving ofthe packages from the first to the second rack or from the second to thefirst rack via the working space; wherein the arrangement is arrangedfor receiving or supporting a plurality of said cultivation packages,such that at most a single cultivation package is supported at each ofthe aligned support heights in the arrangement, for enabling thepackages to be alternatingly supported in either the first or the secondrack across the aligned support heights; further comprising an operatorplatform arranged contiguous to the working space on at least one sidethereof, the platform being moveable in a vertical direction to enableworking by an operator at the support heights; the arrangement furthercomprising a third rack arranged adjacent and aligned with the firstrack, the third rack comprising a plurality of further supportstructures arranged at respective support heights for supportingcultivation packages at the plurality of heights in the third rack, andsuch that the support heights of the third rack are aligned with thesupport heights of the first rack, the arrangement further comprising atransfer unit for moving cultivation packages from the third rack intothe first rack.
 2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein eachcultivation package is supported in a carriage cooperating with theguiding members.
 3. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein thearrangement comprises a single carriage at each support height, whichcarriage is moveable between the first and the second rack.
 4. Thearrangement according to claim 2, wherein the moving means comprise anactuator comprising an engagement member arranged for engaging with oneor more of the carriages, for moving of the carriage by the actuatorfrom the first to the second rack or from the second to the first rack.5. The arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the actuator is mountedin the arrangement to be vertically moveable relative to the first andsecond rack such as to enable the engagement member, dependent on acurrent vertical position of the engagement member, to engage with acarriage at a respective support height.
 6. The arrangement according toclaim 1, wherein the operator platform is connected to a moveablestructure cooperating with vertical guiding members arranged on one ormore of the first and second rack, for enabling the vertical movement ofthe platform.
 7. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein themoveable structure comprises a first and a second operator platformbeing arranged on either side of the working space.
 8. The arrangementaccording to claim 6, wherein the moveable structure further comprises,connected thereto, at least one of a group comprising: a nurturing orwetting arrangement, a liquid nozzle, a powder nozzle, a granulatedistributer, a sprayer, a drip irrigation device, or a fertilizerdistributer; a harvesting apparatus; a selective mushroom eradicator, aneedle or a gripper for selectively eradicating mushrooms; a camera; alight source; and one or more sensors.
 9. The arrangement according toclaim 1, wherein for providing the transfer unit, one or more of thesupport structures of the first rack each comprise a pulley comprising awindable longitudinal pulling member and a coupling member connected tothe pulling member, the pulling member having a length for enablingspanning the first rack in longitudinal direction such as to enablecoupling of the coupling member to a cultivation package in the thirdrack, the pulley being operable for pulling the cultivation package intothe support structure of the first rack.
 10. Method of cultivatinghorticultural products, using an arrangement comprising a first and asecond rack arranged adjacent and aligned with each other, and each rackcomprising a plurality of support structures for supporting cultivationpackages at a plurality of support heights, the support heights providedby the first and second rack being aligned with each other at a samelevel, the method comprising: supporting a plurality of cultivationpackages in the first and the second rack, such that at most a singlecultivation package is supported in either the first or the second rackat each aligned support height, and such that the packages arealternatingly supported in either the first or the second rack acrossthe aligned support heights; vertically moving an operator platform neara working space defined between the first and the second rack to enablean operator on the platform work at a selected support height; moving,using a moving means, a respective cultivation package from the first tosecond rack or from the second to the first rack at the selected heightand treating or handling of the horticultural products during saidmoving of the respective cultivation package; further comprising thesteps of: cultivating, for a first duration of time, the horticulturalproducts in cultivation packages in a third rack comprising a pluralityof further support structures arranged at respective support heights,wherein the support heights of the third rack are aligned with thesupport heights of the first rack; aligning the third rack with thefirst rack; and moving, using a transfer unit, the cultivation packagesfrom the third rack into the first rack, for enabling cultivation of thehorticultural products in either one of the first and the second rackfor a second duration of time.
 11. The method according to claim 10,wherein said treating or handling includes at least one of a groupcomprising: harvesting the horticultural products, verifying thecultivation of the horticultural products, removing or eradicatingdamaged or diseased products, removing or eradicating products growingfaster or maturing earlier than planned, monitoring cultivationconditions, nurturing or fertilizing the horticultural products, andsize inspection of the horticultural products.
 12. The method accordingto claim 10, wherein the step of cultivating the horticultural productsin the third rack is performed following a step of spawning of theproducts in the cultivation packages.
 13. The method according to claim10, wherein upon moving of the cultivation packages from the third rackinto the first rack, at least one of the cultivation packages is movedby the moving means from the first to second rack, such as to establishthe cultivation packages to be alternatingly supported in either thefirst or the second rack across the aligned support heights.
 14. Themethod according to claim 10, wherein for forming the transfer unit, oneor more of the support structures of the first rack each comprise apulley comprising a windable longitudinal pulling member and a couplingmember connected to the pulling member, the pulling member having alength for enabling spanning the first rack in longitudinal direction,the method comprising coupling of the coupling member to a cultivationpackage in the third rack, and pulling, by operating the pulley, thecultivation package into the support structure of the first rack. 15.The method according to claim 10, wherein said moving the cultivationpackages from the third rack into the first rack is performed byconnecting the transfer unit to each of the cultivation packages, andhauling the cultivation packages into the first rack; wherein thehauling includes one or more of: hauling one or more carriages from thethird rack into the first rack, wherein the carriages hauled from thethird rack support the cultivation packages; or wherein the packages inthe third rack are supported on a cloth or canvas or on a plate-likeconstruction, and wherein for hauling the cultivation packages arepulled into a carriage located in the first rack; or hauling thepackages into the first rack one-by-one; or hauling the two or morepackages into the first rack together; or hauling the packages into thefirst rack all at once.